1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pillow having improved head traction. More particularly, this invention relates to a pillow which prevents the user""s head and neck from bearing excessive pressure during the night.
2. The Prior Art
There are presently available pillows having contoured surfaces. Such pillows are designed to provide therapeutic relief in the head and neck areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,087 discloses a contoured head and neck foam pillow which includes longitudinal ribs of arcuate cross section which collectively define a curved pillow profile having at least two prominent lobes of differing heights and a central trough. The ribs are of semi-circular cross section and have circular channels separating their bases to provide a heat and moisture dissipation function. The ribs are generally directed upwardly and the radius of curvature of the ridges varies generally in accordance with the thickness of a predetermined profile of the upper support surface.
Another example of a pillow having a contoured upper surface is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 339,020 to Ward which shows longitudinal ribs extending across the upper surface of a pillow having front and back lobes. The ribs are generally vertically upstanding from the upper surface of the pillow, and have alternately varying shapes from one rib to the next.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,907 issued to Poths discloses a foam device for relaxing the skeletal muscles of the neck region comprising a mat of foam material with transverse ribs projecting from the upper side, and with one section of the foam mat having the ribs standing obliquely towards the head side and another section of the mat having the ribs standing obliquely towards the foot side, such that the divergently oblique transverse ribs of both foam sections purportedly stretch the spine in two opposite directions and increase the space between the vertebrae to release and soothe pinched nerve ends and overstressed disks.
The present invention provides a pillow having transversely extending raised ribs across its upper surface with the ribs extending upwardly from the pillow at an acute angle to a bottom surface of the pillow so as to provide traction forces to the user""s head and neck. The traction forces are dependant upon the density of the foam used in the various ribs, and the widths and angles of the ribs.
More specifically, the pillow of the present invention comprises a compressible and resilient body including a front portion and a rear portion. The front portion is adapted to support the user""s neck with the user""s spine extending generally parallel to a longitudinal direction of the body generally from the rear portion to the front portion, the body having a generally planar bottom surface. The body may be formed of a single piece of compressible and resilient material or, alternatively, the body may be formed of a one-piece base portion and a one-piece top portion secured atop the base portion.
At least a portion of the upper surface of the body on which the user""s head and neck are supported includes raised ribs extending transversely across the body normal to the longitudinal direction and generally parallel with one another, and each rib extends upwardly from the body at an angle to the bottom surface and terminates at an upper surface. The ribs are located on the body such that one or both of the user""s head and neck are supported atop the ribs. At least some of the ribs are angled upwardly and toward the rear edge of the pillow (i.e., in a direction away from the user""s feet) such that a traction force is exerted on the user""s head and/or neck tending to stretch the user""s spine. Advantageously, the widths and/or the heights of the ribs may vary in the longitudinal direction. For example, the ribs may be relatively narrower and/or relatively shorter on one portion of the pillow, and relatively wider and/or relatively taller on another portion so as to create different degrees of support on these portions.
The ribs advantageously form an angle of from about 30xc2x0 to about 80xc2x0 with the bottom surface of the pillow. Various rib shapes may be used. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, each rib has a lower portion having a first thickness measured crosswise to the rib, and an upper portion having a second thickness which is different from the first thickness. For example, the ribs may be configured such that the upper portion has a greater thickness than the lower portion such that open channels are defined between the lower portions of adjacent ribs to facilitate air circulation through the pillow. Alternatively, the ribs may be gradually tapered from their bases toward their upper ends.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pillow may have at least one rounded upwardly protruding lobe which extends across the width of the body.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the rear portion of the compressible body defines a rear edge of the body and the front portion defines a front edge of the body, and at least some of the ribs on the rear portion are upwardly inclined in a rearward direction toward the rear edge and at least some of the ribs on the front portion are upwardly inclined in a forward direction toward the front edge. This arrangement of the ribs facilitates the creation of traction forces by the rear and front portions in opposite directions away from each other, such that a person""s head is pulled by the rear portion toward the rear edge and the neck is pulled by the front portion toward the front edge.
Alternatively, the rear portion of the pillow can have ribs that are upwardly inclined in the forward direction and the front portion can have ribs that are upwardly inclined in the rearward direction. A middle portion of the pillow between the front and rear portions can have ribs that extend vertically upward, if desired.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the body includes an upwardly protruding front lobe formed in the front portion and extending transversely across the width of the body, a forward portion of the front lobe having at least one rib upwardly inclined in the forward direction toward the front edge and a rearward portion of the front lobe having at least one rib upwardly inclined in the rearward direction toward the rear edge. Preferably, the front lobe further includes a wedge-shaped rib whose longitudinal width increases toward the upper surface thereof, the wedge-shaped rib being located between the rearwardly angled rib on the rearward portion and the forwardly angled rib on the forward portion of the front lobe. By so configuring the ribs on the front lobe, the forward portion of the front lobe can apply traction forces to the neck in a direction toward the user""s feet and the rearward portion can apply traction forces to the head in the opposite direction so as to create a beneficial stretching of the neck.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the pillow includes an extension portion extending longitudinally forward from the front edge of the body and having a transverse width substantially less than the width of the body. The extension portion has transversely extending raised ribs which are upwardly inclined relative to the bottom surface of the body in a direction away from the front edge of the body, whereby the extension portion is adapted to support the lower neck and upper back region of a user and the ribs on the extension portion are adapted to apply a traction force in the direction away from the front edge of the body.